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RE: Complication of the alt text issue

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From: Glenda Watson Hyatt
Date: Mar 12, 2002 5:04PM

Hi Kim,

For some more info on accesskeys, check out
http://www.webaccessguides.org/accessguide/question9.htm#5.

I'll let someone else answer your latest question re alt v longdesc. My
diplomacy is wearing thin <GRIN>. Is it quiting time yet?

Anyway, good on you Kim for being aware of the accessibility issues. Keep
asking questions.

Cheers,
Glenda

*********
Glenda Watson Hyatt
Soaring Eagle Communications
"Creating freedom and power through accessible communications"
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Website: http://www.eaglecom.bc.ca
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kim Grinfeder [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 3:40 PM
> To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Subject: RE: Complication of the alt text issue
>
>
>
>
> "As for accessiblity "enhancements" such as keyboard short cuts, why not
> make a seperate page within your site which outlines all of the
> accessibility features you have provided,"
>
> This is a good idea. I would like to learn more about keyboard shortcuts
> and how to implement them is there a site I could learn more about this?
> Also, I have never seen a site that has a separate page dedicated to
> keyboards shortcuts, does you know a URL of where I can see an example?
>
> And while I am writing to the list and we are talking about alt tags, I
> had to remove all alt tags from images because our designer (I am a
> developer) did not want them showing up when the mouse was over the
> images, I replaced the alt tags with longdesc tags. Is this helpful at
> all or bad form?
>
> Thanks,
> Kim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Foliot - bytown internet [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
> Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2002 6:31 PM
> To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Cc: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> Subject: RE: Complication of the alt text issue
>
> - ALT attribute is a brief descriptive of the image... in your case
> "Products and Services" or at the most "Products and Services Page".
> Just
> as the "button" generally offers no more explanation than that to the
> sighted, so too the ALT text. Trust me, the non-sighted will understand
> that this is a link to the Products and Services page(s). Try to avoid
> over-compensation, it could inadvertanly become offensive, almost a
> "dumbing
> down for the blind guy". (with no offence to anyone on this list) You
> could
> try using the title attribute, but it's support over multiple browsers
> is
> dodgy at best.
>
> - You know that ALL images have ALT text, even if its <..ALT="">
>
> - If the image in question requires more explanation than as mentioned
> above, move to LONGDESC and or d-links (both are external files with
> text
> descriptions of the image in question)
>
> As for accessiblity "enhancements" such as keyboard short cuts, why not
> make
> a seperate page within your site which outlines all of the accessibility
> features you have provided, along with a list of the keyboard shortcuts?
> Trying to make the ALT text serve multiple purposes is contrary to it's
> intent and actually (as you have discovered) creates as many problems as
> it
> attempts to solve.
>
> As always, JMHO
>
> JF
> www.bytowninternet.com
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Lisa Halabi [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ]
> > Sent: March 12, 2002 5:48 PM
> > To: Webaim-Forum
> > Subject: FW: Complication of the alt text issue
> >
> >
> > Dear All,
> >
> > I'm having difficulties trying to help a colleague solve the
> > thorny issue of
> > what to put on Alt tags as part of a massive redesign to make our
> Company
> > site ultra accessible. I've seen this issue discussed countless times
> and
> > thought it was all clear and simple, but not so! Please see the
> > email below.
> > Basically, we can't decide on the appropriate level of detail to
> include,
> > especially as we want to show the keyboard short cuts in the Alt tags
> as
> > well. I'd appreciate any comments you might have.
> >
> > The url to the site is www.usabilitybydesign.com
> > Many thanks in advance.
> > Lisa
> >
> > Lisa Halabi
> > Senior Usability & Accessibility Consultant
> > Events Coordinator - UK Usability Professionals Assoc.
> > www.usabilitybydesign.com
> > Email: <EMAIL REMOVED>
> > Tel: +44 (0)7956 280 447
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gary Bunker
> > Sent: 12 March 2002 15:16
> > To: Lisa Halabi
> > Cc: Paul Chandler
> > Subject: Complication of the alt text issue
> >
> >
> > Lisa,
> >
> > a slight complication.
> >
> > To sum up, current alt text is in a long form, explaining what
> > can be found.
> > For example for the products/services button it is "Details on
> > the products
> > and services we offer, and what they can do for you"
> >
> > Problem being that they don't provide the actual name of the button
> > (products and services) and are quite long, so that blind users have
> to
> > listen to the entire alt text and then decide which section they are
> > navigating to.
> >
> > Your initial proposal was to shorten them to just the name of the
> section,
> > i.e. "Products and services" - however that makes it easier to
> > listen to but
> > provides no feedback on the content of the section being visited.
> >
> > We had come to an agreement that the best approach is to shorten the
> alt
> > text to something like "Products: For usability products and services"
> -
> > short enough not to be too annoying to blind users but long enough to
> > provide some hint to sighted users of the content to be found.
> >
> > However, we also currently use the alt text to explain to blind
> > users that a
> > quick key is available. So the current alt text is actually
> > "Details on the products and services we offer, and what they can do
> for
> > you.
> >
> > Alt + 'P' to select"
> >
> > Obviously if we go with the solution we just proposed we lose the
> shortcut
> > key information - making it much harder for both sighted and visually
> > impaired users to learn those shortcuts.
> >
> > Any suggestions?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----
> > To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
> > visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/
> >
> >
>
>
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